


Acts of Devotion

by littlenyao



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Drinking, First Time, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone, Reminiscing, Sticky Sexual Interfacing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:09:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28445928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlenyao/pseuds/littlenyao
Summary: After defeating Hellbat and the Stone Army, Drift and Ratchet are headed back to theLost Light, but in need of supplies and rebuilds, they head for the largest spaceport in the region for a few days' vacation. No sooner than they've had a chance to finally sit down and talk, than a group of Genericons attacks them, set on gaining favor with the DJD by revealing Drift's location.
Relationships: Drift | Deadlock/Ratchet
Comments: 9
Kudos: 63





	1. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
>   * Garbage - Drive You Home
>   * Seanan McGuire - Tanglewood Tree
> 


From the wreckage of the cargo bay, Ratchet heard Drift swear. Slipping the few usable supplies into his subspace compartment, he made his way over the short distance towards the cabin, avoiding sharpened plates and squeezing through what was left of the main bulkhead. He found Drift holding up a very burnt mat. “What’s that?” 

Drift frowned. “It _was_ my meditation mat.” He held up a similarly burnt blanket. “And this was my meditation shawl. Both that I got from the Circle.” Drift sighed as he gently placed them back on the ground. 

Ratchet frowned. “You didn’t stow them in your subspace?” 

Drift shook his helm. “I didn’t think the shuttle would get destroyed.” He went over to the wall and picked up his Great Sword. “At least I always carry this with me.” 

Ratchet walked out of the wreckage with Drift, watching as he struggled to move around even when they were in the clear. “You’re limping…” 

“I’m fine.” Drift looked up at the sky. “Where’s your shuttle anyway? You recalled it about an hour ago.” 

Ratchet glanced at his HUD. “It’s almost here.” He pointed a finger at Drift. “And don’t think you’re going to just dismiss my concerns by changing the subject! First thing we’re doing after liftoff is getting that leg patched.” 

“You mean I’m patching my own leg.” 

“It would be much faster if I did it.” 

Drift rolled his optics. “Do you always take working vacations, Ratchet?” 

Ratchet threw up his hands. “And what about you? If you hadn’t been trying to play the hero and had been taking care of your frame, you wouldn’t be in such a state of disrepair!” He pointed straight in Drift’s face. “You want to accuse me of overwork? At least acknowledge that you do it too!” 

Drift paused, briefly opening his optics. “I did what had to be done.” 

Ratchet started to speak but then paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right.” He sighed. “Considering I promoted First Aid to CMO, I’m now on mandatory vacation, so maybe you should take some too.” They both felt a gust of wind as the shuttle landed itself in front of them. 

Drift merely smiled and silently followed Ratchet into the ship. They both sat down on the bridge and prepared for takeoff. 

“So, where are we going?” asked Ratchet, fingers flying over the controls. 

Drift called up a list of Cybertronian-friendly planets on his console. “Axial is the closest.” 

Ratchet paused. “Expensive. Their docking fees alone are outrageous.” 

“Don’t worry about expense. My treat.” 

Ratchet frowned. “You sure?” 

“Gold card?” 

“Oh, _fine_.” 

Drift looked over at him. “They also have some of the best rebuild facilities in the area. When was the last time you had that done?” 

“Too long.” 

Drift smiled. “Would you let me get that for you as well? After all, I dragged you into this mess.” 

Ratchet looked up from the controls and met Drift’s optics. “You didn’t drag me into this. You needed help and I helped.” 

“You’ve been mixed in with my self-inflicted crises more than once.” 

Ratchet was silent for a moment as he entered the final commands for takeoff. The ship jerked, straining against the planet’s gravity to fly into orbit. “I’d hardly call what you’ve experienced self-inflicted. Nobody gets addicted to circuit speeders because they’re happy. And leave it to Rodimus to not insist on taking the blame for Overlord until he thought his egotistical aft was going to die.” Ratchet got up from his seat and threw up his hands. “If voting him off the ship wasn’t enough, maybe me leaving the ship will be.” 

Drift swiveled around in his chair and looked at Ratchet in horror. “You voted him off the ship?!” 

“Yeah, and it only partially worked.” 

Drift pinched his nose. “Wait, partially?” 

Ratchet frowned. “Optimus assigned Megatron to be a captain alongside Rodimus. It’s the terms of his trial.” 

“What?!” Drift stood up suddenly, almost falling over until Ratchet got under his shoulder to support him. “You were going to tell me this _when?”_

__

Ratchet led Drift back to the single crew quarters. He pointed at the berth. “Lay down on your back up there. It will help take tension off your leg while I work on it.” 

__

“And who’s the one changing the subject on me now?” Drift got up on the berth as instructed. 

__

Ratchet pulled out his tools and began to work on Drift’s damaged right leg. “Look, there’s a lot that happened. I didn’t want to tell you all at once.” 

__

Drift sighed. “I’m not sure which is worse: you wanting to kick my best friend off his own ship, Megatron being alive, or Megatron being a captain of the Lost Light.” 

__

“Co-captain.” 

__

“What does that even _mean?_ ” 

__

“It means,” said Ratchet as he leaned back from his work, “that as much as I hate to admit it, Megatron’s administration skills have quelled some of Rodimus’ crazier tendencies.” Ratchet came around to the other side of the berth. “Alright, stand up and see if you can put weight on it.” 

__

Drift slowly slid down off the berth and nodded. “Feels better.” He walked around the room, slowly at first but then picking up the pace as he felt more confident. 

__

“Now, it’s only a patch. It should hold for a few days, but the whole assembly needs to be replaced, so don’t strain it.” 

__

Drift walked back around to face Ratchet. “Tha--” The ship lurched to the side, knocking him to the deck on top of Ratchet. Raising his head, he met Ratchet’s concerned optics and hesitated, feeling his frame heat up very slightly. “What in the Pit?” 

__

“If you get off me, we can find out!” 

__

Drift rose to his pedes with practiced lightning speed and pulled Ratchet up from the floor, both of them running to the cockpit and sitting down. Alarms were blaring all around, readouts indicating minor hull damage. “There’s a ship firing at us,” he said as he silenced the alarms and scanned the area. “Scout ship… Decepticon markings.” 

__

“Where in the Pit did they come from?” 

__

Drift held onto the console as the ship lurched again. “Maybe they followed the shuttle in?” 

__

“Great…” Ratchet rolled his optics. “Oh, and they’re hailing us.” 

__

A Cybertronian with an obvious jet form and Decepticon markings sprayed on each wing showed up on screen. “Autobots! Surrender or die!” 

__

Ratchet and Drift exchanged glances. “And who are you exactly?” Drift asked, but Ratchet picked up a different text message. _Spin up the drive while I distract them._

__

“Traitor!” the Decepticon yelled. “Tarn will be pleased when I tell him the location of the notorious Deadlock!” 

__

Drift cocked his helm to the side, putting on a mocking confused look. “I didn’t know the DJD were listening to Genericons now.” 

__

The Decepticon growled. “You underestimate us, Deadlock--” 

__

“Drift.” 

__

“Whatever!” 

__

Ratchet watched as Drift’s smile became outright sinister, revealing his normally hidden fangs. He had long suspected that remnants of Deadlock were still there, waiting just under the surface. The Genericon on the monitor visibly backed up. 

__

“Oh, I think it is _you_ who underestimate me, Genericon.” Drift’s voice had shifted to something almost slimy. “See, I know every bit about your pathetic little… well, we can’t quite call it a shuttle, now can we? More like an escape pod? It could barely singe the hull, let alone cause any damage. Much like you, really.” Drift glanced sideways at the jump countdown. “But I’m really not in the mood to play today.” He hung up just as the shuttle jumped away. 

__

Ratchet stared while Drift slumped back in his chair, optics closed. “I never thought I would hear that voice again.” 

__

Drift kept his optics closed. “It’s… a useful persona for situations like these.” 

__

“ _Persona?_ You’re switching back and forth now? Do you keep all of your massive personality shifts stored away somewhere between your finials?” Ratchet slammed his hand down on the console. “And your current stoic heroic hyper-positive ultra-serious attitude, the one that you use to hide your vulnerabilities, is that yet another persona?” 

__

Drift froze and said nothing. 

__

“I came looking for the real Drift. I’d love to tell him that while he thinks he needs to maintain a stupid persona to prove his loyalty to the Autobot cause, he has nothing to prove to me. I happened to like the Drift who listened to his conscience despite paralyzing fear of the DJD and the Drift who got a good laugh out of pretending to throw my hands out the airlock!” Ratchet sighed. “So if you see him, let me know.” Drift heard a soft thunk. “He looks something like this.” 

__

Drift heard him walk away and close the berthroom door. He opened his optics to see a figure now standing on the dashboard. He leaned in closer and realized it was a figure of him, complete with all swords and armor markings. Drift felt a rare complete feeling of happiness and joy as he realized that Ratchet had probably kept this figure close to him in his subspace. He picked it up and inspected it closer, slowly smiling as he saw how incredibly detailed it was. He sighed and got up to knock on the berthroom door. 

__

Ratchet opened the door and looked at him, still obviously annoyed. 

__

“I’ve missed you.” Drift’s voice was barely a whisper. He smiled cautiously as he held up the figure. 

__

Ratchet immediately pulled him into an embrace with a strength honed by years of hauling patients around. Drift tentatively curled his arms around Ratchet’s back, and Ratchet swore he felt Drift shake a bit. As the moments passed, Drift pulled in tighter as if refusing to let him go. They stayed that way for a while as the shuttle sprinted across the stars. 

__


	2. Whisper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
>   * bôa - Duvet
>   * Blessid Union of Souls - Scenes From a Coffee House (You’ll Always Be Mine)
> 


Axial hosted one of the most comprehensive spaceports in the region and thus was one of the busiest. On a typical day, Axial Central Control would ask ships jumping in to hold around one of the seven moons until they could direct them to one of the many thousands of docks on the planet’s surface. During high holiday seasons, ships could expect to wait hours -- if not days -- for a dock, opening up the opportunity for entrepreneurs to build satellite facilities on the moons. 

“Height of the Summer Solstice festival. Great choice, _Drift_.” Ratchet took a drink of engex. 

Drift rolled his optics. “How was I supposed to know we’d be stuck on the third moon? I don’t track the festivals on every planet, despite what you may think.” He sipped his energon tea. “Besides, it isn’t the _worst_ bar we could be stuck in. At least they brew good tea.” 

“I’ve been to a lot of bars, Drift. This is one of the seediest.” Ratchet looked down at the floor. “I don’t think they’ve mopped the floor anytime in the last century.” 

“Life is all about perspective, Ratch.” 

“The only perspective I see is the washrack sprayer getting all this gunk off my pedes.” Ratchet looked towards the bar, and his optics caught a Cybertronian with a distinctive flight frame. The horrors of Luna-1 crashed back at him, memories of Pharma whipping through his thoughts. Instinctively, he jerked his helm sideways to swipe the horrors away. 

“Ratchet!?” Drift started to rise out of his seat. 

Ratchet put up a hand towards Drift, directing him to sit back down. “I’m fine now. Just a flashback.” He took another sip of engex and sat back in his seat. 

“Just a flashback? How long have you been having flashbacks?” asked Drift. 

“Since Luna-1.” 

“You found Luna-1?! What happened at Luna-1?” 

Ratchet sighed. “Remember when I said I didn’t want to tell you everything all at once?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Well, brace yourself.” Ratchet set his hand down on Drift’s. Squeezing it, he waited for Drift to nod. “We found the Circle on Luna-1. Tyrest had captured them, and… He experimented on them, killing most of them. Cyclonus and Whirl rescued the remainder of the Circle, including Dai Atlas, but Star Saber killed him in battle.” 

Drift sat back in shock, closing his optics. 

“I’m sorry, Drift. I know they were important to you.” 

Drift sat for a while in thought. “Why? Why did Tyrest experiment on them?” 

Ratchet breathed in and out before he spoke. “Tyrest thought that everyone who was constructed cold was evil, so he constructed a killswitch to kill them all at once. It almost worked too. Since those constructed cold had been harvested from the Matrix and Tyrest had used that to track them down, Rodimus nearly died sacrificing himself and his half of the Matrix to reverse the effects.” Ratchet picked up his drink. “And that’s when we found out the truth behind Overlord.” 

Drift was silent for a few minutes before he looked back at Ratchet. “I can see why that would give you flashbacks.” 

“The killswitch is not why I’m getting flashbacks.” 

Drift paused. “May I ask what happened?” 

“Pharma happened.” 

“He’s still alive?” 

“Well, not anymore. First Aid killed him.” 

“First Aid?!” 

“I couldn’t have found a better successor.” 

“Well, yes, but how was Pharma still alive?” 

“Tyrest found him. He replaced Pharma’s hands with something that could change into any shape he wanted, although Pharma preferred a chainsaw. Pharma removed my helm and spark assembly from my frame without my permission, proceeded to show me my frame, and I only got him to agree to let us go if he could find out once and for all who was the better surgeon.” Ratchet took another swig. “By slicing Ambulon in half lengthwise and seeing if I could put him back together.” 

“So… Ambulon’s…” 

“Dead.” Ratchet frowned. “No surgeon, not even Pharma, could put him back together.” 

Drift shook his helm. “Do you know why Pharma had this obsession with you?” 

“I wouldn’t call it an obsession. We did expose what he was doing at Delphi and stole his hands.” 

“But why would he agree to such a contest?” 

“Well, besides being certifiably insane...” Ratchet looked away. “He always had a crush on me. I refused his advances. I guess he figured if he couldn’t have an overbearing romantic relationship with me, he would have an overbearing professional relationship with me.” He paused for a long moment. “Not that I would have been a great romantic partner by any means.” 

Drift cocked his helm. “Why do you say that?” 

Ratchet looked up at Drift and half smiled. “Surely you know my reputation?” 

Drift frowned. “As a workaholic?” 

“Heh, not _that_ reputation. Before all that I was known as the Party Ambulance, taking a lot of people to berth and trying most anything if they were willing.” 

“That doesn’t sound like the makings of a bad romantic partner.” 

“It is, if you couldn’t commit to anything but a one night stand. I hoped at one point that I would eventually find a conjunx, but...” Ratchet sighed. “I always got too wrapped up in my work and let everyone slip by.” As he finished off his drink and signaled the bartender for another round, he swore he heard Drift mumble something. “What was that?” 

“Er, something for later perhaps,” Drift said and nervously took another drink of his tea. “But you’re being too hard on yourself. You dedicated your life into saving others because of everything that was going on. Refocusing your energy into a longer term relationship is possible, but it is not easy.” 

“It should be, if you care about them.” 

Drift shrugged. “The heroic route is less complicated. You save people and then you move on. But you underestimate your capacity for fulfilling relationships. After all, you dropped everything to come find me.” 

“How’s that _not_ heroic?” 

“Staying on the _Lost Light_ would have allowed you to save lives and restore Cybertron to its glory days. Coming to find me won’t make much of a difference in that total outcome.” 

“Maybe _you’re_ the one underestimating!” 

“Perhaps,” Drift said into his tea. “But think about it this way: if you came all this way for a friend…” 

Ratchet sighed. “Yeah, I...” He leaned back in his seat and pinched his nose while closing his optics, allowing several minutes to pass in thought. When he finally opened his optics again, he noticed that Drift was staring distantly out at the crowd. “Something wrong?” he asked finally. 

Drift shook his helm and sighed. “Just remembering the last time I was at Swerve’s.” 

“Was that the one where Rodimus was draped all over you because he’d had too much engex?” 

Drift frowned at Ratchet. “I’m surprised that’s what you remember considering the highlight of the night was Skids breaking the table by dancing on top of it.” 

“That’s just a normal night at Swerve’s.” 

“But yes, that’s the night when Rodimus was draped all over me, as you so delicately put it.” Drift finished off his tea. “It was also the night I started having second thoughts.” 

Ratchet furrowed his brow. “Second thoughts? About what?” 

The bartender delivered Ratchet’s drink, but just before he could pick it up, Drift grabbed it and took a big gulp of engex. 

“H-hey!” Ratchet’s hand was still suspended in midair after failing to grab the glass. 

Drift gently lowered the drink back onto the table. “When I first joined the Wreckers, Rodimus accepted me with that rebellious grin of his and without question. After I was touched by Vector Sigma, he was the only one I felt comfortable confiding in, and I was the only one who could understand his experiences with the Matrix. It was that connection and need for comfort that, at times, walked a fine line between friend and lover.” 

“So you two _were_ involved.” 

Drift threw up a hand. “It was casual. I think we both understood that. Part of me wanted it to be more.” He sighed as he finished his purloined engex. “More that he simply couldn’t give me.” 

Ratchet signaled for two more drinks. “What did you need?” 

“I needed…” Drift closed his optics and breathed out. “I needed something more decisive. Most of my life has been so ephemeral that I craved even the possibility of enduring romantic intimacy. He wasn’t going to give me that kind of partnership, and I loved him so much that I realized I shouldn’t ask that of him.” He looked away. “The whole Overlord incident crystallized the fact that I needed to accept things I couldn’t change.” 

“And you ended up sacrificing everything so that Rodimus could continue the quest? Drift, that’s not ‘accepting things,’ that’s self-fulfilling your own prophecy!” 

The drinks arrived and Drift took a swig of his. “Ratchet, I _chose_ to take the fall. I was the only logical choice.” 

Ratchet hit the table with his fist so hard his drink wobbled. “That’s a load of scrap!” 

“Yeah? Tell that to the rest of the crew, who only see me as a Decepticon assassin!” Drift leaned forward directly into Ratchet’s face. “If I asked you right now to not go back to the _Lost Light_ but instead go off with me to explore, would you go?” 

Ratchet’s shock morphed into determination. “Yes. Are you asking?” 

Drift took another sip of his drink and sighed. “No. It’s not fair to ask that of you. You wouldn’t have asked me to come back if you thought I wouldn’t have a chance.” 

Ratchet nodded and smiled as his communicator beeped. “Ah, it’s the port authority calling about our reservations. You sure we can find accommodations once we’re down there?” 

Drift smirked. “Never doubt a Gold Card. I already got us a very nice suite.” 

“Someday I’m going to ask how you got that,” said Ratchet, narrowly beating Drift to the payment console with his own card. 

“And someday I might actually tell you.” 


	3. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
>   * Mikuni Shimokawa - Sore Ga, Ai Deshou
>   * Pet Shop Boys - I’m Not Scared
> 


“We’re lost.” 

Drift sighed as he tried to get the map to recognize their location. The thick hot air and the crowded marketplace was not making it any easier. “We’re not lost. We’re momentarily delayed.” 

Ratchet groaned as the sunlight continued to beat down on his frame. His fans kicked on again, and he took shelter under the umbrella of a vendor. His frame hadn’t been meant for this. Drift’s, on the other hand, had, and he took full advantage of it standing out in the open soaking up the heat while waiting for a signal. Ratchet noticed that Drift was oddly relaxed for someone who typically calculated his every move and in that same moment shivered at the possibility that Drift might even be relaxed enough to permit him to... 

“Perhaps your Spectralist friend would be interested in some of my wares?” 

The voice of the vendor startled Ratchet, and he looked back at the booth filled with colorful fabrics, stones, and other assorted baubles. “Er, yes. How did you know?” 

The vendor grinned, subtly swapping his optic color to blue. “The optics.” 

“Ah.” 

The map beeped success as Drift sensed Ratchet coming back to his side. “Aha! Nothing a good calibration can’t fix.” He grinned as he showed Ratchet the route. 

Drift’s sincere delight melted Ratchet where he stood. 

“It looks like we can get there by going this way.” Drift pointed down a side street and started walking. 

Ratchet shook his helm and walked quickly to catch up to him. 

Drift looked around to make sure he was caught up. They walked silently through the bustling streets, and they reached the main road as they exited the marketplace. Transforming, they drove away from the central district and into a more industrial area. 

“You’re quieter than usual today.” 

Ratchet tried to scan everything but the sports car beside him. “I’m... distracted.” 

“Nervous?” 

Ratchet swerved slightly in annoyance. “No! Why would I be nervous?” 

“Well, you don’t get a rebuild all that often.” 

Ratchet sighed. “Well, it’s not that.” 

They drove in silence for the remainder of the trip. Entering a large clean atrium in their vehicle modes and transforming, they stepped up to the desk and rang the electronic bell. A very large truck mode Cybertronian barely cleared the door from the back office and smirked. “Heh, I know you’re my next appointment by how banged up you are. What happened? Pirates? Sharkticons? A thunk of Ick-Yaks?” 

“Rogue Decepticons,” said Ratchet flatly. 

“Oh, heh, you’re going to be difficult, huh?” He motioned for them to follow. “Come on back, I have your designs all ready to go.” He led them to a posh waiting room, and fumbling with the controls, brought up their new designs. “Now, based on your initial scans, Ratchet’s modifications are probably going to take longer because he hasn’t been rebuilt in a while. But not by much; Drift’s frame needs extensive repairs.” He looked at Drift. “Seriously, you need to go in for a checkup every once in a while.” 

Ratchet side-eyed Drift with a look of _I told you so_ paired with a smirk. Drift merely rolled his optics as they stepped into their respective rebuild rooms. 

Several hours later, Drift walked out of his room freshly painted and waxed. He felt the freshest he had in years, and his frame moved easily and gracefully despite the heavier armor he had ordered. Walking into the waiting room, he turned around in front of the mirrors to make sure the rebuild team had gotten everything right. 

“You’re looking much better,” a voice in the room suddenly startled Drift. He looked back at Ratchet beaming back at him. Drift felt his frame rapidly heat up. Ratchet rarely broke out the smile he was wearing now, betraying the kind and loving personality the war had hidden under a grumpy and fatigued layer of protection. As much as Drift loved the intellectual challenge a critical Ratchet presented him, it was this smile driving his four million years of unrequited affection. 

“So are you,” Drift finally managed. 

“Now who’s distracted?” 

Drift smiled sheepishly. “Oh, by the way, I got something for us to celebrate.” He reached into his subspace and pulled out a dark bottle, giving it to Ratchet. 

Ratchet’s optics went bright as he saw the engex. “How did you find this? I haven’t seen _Sparktouch_ since before the war! It was one of my favorites.” 

“The owners of the distillery moved here after their facility was destroyed during the war.” 

Ratchet chuckled. “I remember that. Both sides tried to take the distillery, and it got blown up in the process!” 

“How long was that operation? Five days?” 

“It was an operation?!” 

“Of course! Everything was an operation, codenamed and all. This one was…” Drift trailed off, tapping his finger to his lip plates as he thought. “Oh yeah! Operation: Barkeep.” 

Ratchet dimmed his optics. “Not very original.” 

“Eh, that was Soundwave for you.” Drift shrugged. “But at the end of it all, he found evidence that the owners had blown up the facility themselves just to hide its secrets. He praised them on how thorough they were and regretted not being able to recruit them into the Decepticon Cause.” 

Ratchet chuckled. “I can believe it with this brand.” He patted Drift on the shoulder. “Let’s get to the hotel so we can properly enjoy this.” 

It was a long drive to the hotel, navigating through streets stuffed with merchants and festival goers alike. The sun was starting to set as they reached the hotel entrance, the air conditioning a welcome comfort after the heat of the day. Hotel staff, both in robot and vehicle modes, scurried about to serve all of the extra guests that had arrived for the festival. The Gold Card reservation, however, allowed Drift and Ratchet to move past the long guest line and get checked into the room almost immediately. 

After taking a long elevator ride up to the top of the hotel, both Drift and Ratchet gasped as they entered the large executive suite. Its high atrium roof was aglow with soft lights and featured a large living space with several plush couches, chairs, and tables, along with large windows and a deck that looked out on the darkening city. 

“Wow, Drift, when you pick ‘em, you pick ‘em,” said Ratchet, looking around. 

“I’m just glad it’s quiet. Easier to meditate that way.” 

“That reminds me.” Ratchet pulled a small bag out of his subspace and gave it to Drift. “This might help, you know, with meditating…” 

Drift wore a confused look as he took the bag. Opening it, he saw two distinct items. He first pulled out a large mat made from a soft plush material. He squeezed the mat and felt it warm in his hands, subtly emanating rainbow colors from its small cells wherever he applied pressure. Realizing what it was, he excitedly set it down and picked up the second item, a folded blanket, fuzzy and warm to the touch and also embedded with soft rainbow fibers. 

“I… where did you get these?” 

“Picked them up from a vendor while you were absorbed with the map.” 

“They’re beautiful. But I thought you wouldn’t want to get involved with all that ‘bunk religious scrap.’” 

“Meditation isn’t bunk! There are pre-war medical articles on its benefits. If it helps you relax, then…” 

“Thank you, Ratchet. It means a lot.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

Drift folded the mat and shawl neatly and placed them into his subspace. He walked towards the deck. “Now, there should be… Ah, here it is!” Ratchet followed Drift out to see a large oil bath whirlpool and a minibar complete with cooler and readymade Energon cubes. 

“Perfect.” Ratchet pulled the engex out of his subspace and set it in the cooler. “I saw a nice place on our way into town that might be good for dinner. Want to join me?” 

Drift smiled. “You’re the expert. Lead on.” 

Back down the elevator, they drove back partially the way they came to an upscale bar that was just starting to open. Ratchet found a table outside that was looking out at the sparkling city and sat down as Drift followed. They only had to wait a few minutes after ordering before their drinks and snacks arrived. 

“Now this is more like it.” Ratchet sipped a bit of his engex. 

Drift munched on an energon stick. “Oh, is the floor more to your liking?” 

Ratchet smiled at Drift. “View’s nice too.” 

Drift’s face flashed a brief moment of shock before recovering in a protective smile. “The city is lovely from up here.” 

Ratchet nearly choked on his drink. “Um, er, yes.” 

Watching the people enjoying the festival was an excuse for a rather awkward silence between the two. More than once, Drift drank a sip of tea, started to say something, and then took another sip. Ratchet was too embarrassed to notice and watched the crowds instead as he finished his energon. 

“Ratchet, I…” Before Drift could finish there was a shout below. 

“Hey! It’s them!” The voice sounded awfully familiar. Drift and Ratchet looked down in horror to not only see the Genericon they had encountered before but a whole group of differently sized Genericons staring back at them. 

“Scrap…” Ratchet gritted his denta. 

“We should try to lose them,” Drift whispered, fishing out his Gold Card and quickly settling the tab. 

“Right.” Ratchet ran with Drift over to the bar. “Is there a backdoor to this place?” 

The bartender sighed, briefly checked his console for payment, and then thumbed over his shoulder to the back. 

“Thanks,” Ratchet said as Drift took his hand and yanked him towards the door. Drift’s face was as focused as ever, but Ratchet could feel Drift’s hand shaking in his as they ran into the alleyway and out into the night, a large number of angry footsteps right behind them. 

They started running in the general direction of the hotel, weaving through several of the crowded streets before Drift pulled Ratchet into a very dark alley. He peered out to look down the main street. “I think we lost them.” Drift’s voice was steady, but as an experienced medical professional, Ratchet couldn’t help but hear Drift’s erratic and panicked breathing. 

“Drift, calm down. Even if they did contact the DJD, Tarn would have told them we were already dead.” 

Drift furrowed his brow. “Why would Tarn think we’re dead?” 

“You remember that quantum explosion?” 

Drift glared at Ratchet. 

“Okay, stupid question. But it created quantum duplicates of us, and Tarn went after the other _Lost Light_ and killed almost everyone, including us.” 

“Almost everyone?” 

“They found Rewind alive and reunited him with Chromedome.” 

“The metaphysical implications of that are--” 

“Drift, focus.” 

“Tarn wouldn’t give up an opportunity to kill us again, but they would have had to give him visual evidence or else he’d go after _them._ But if that were the case, then the Genericons would be long gone by now to get out of the crossfire. So that means they’re after something else.” Drift paused for a second, consciously slowing his breathing. “Gold card. They’re after my gold card.” 

“Hard to make a living now that the Decepticons are gone. It sounds strange, but that’s actually a relief.” 

“No kidding.” Drift peeked out again but dodged back into the alley. “I see them. They’re close. Any ideas?” 

“I think so. I wonder if it’s still open.” He pulled up some information on his HUD. “Ah, here it is.” He looked up at Drift and smiled as he extended his hand. 

“Has anyone ever taken you dancing?” 


	4. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
>   * Ronski Speed vs Ilan Bluestone - Fortress Lighthouse (Ruw’s Underground Mix)
>   * Purple Mood - One Night in Tokyo (Above and Beyond Remix)
> 


Drift briefly hesitated to take Ratchet’s hand, but hearing the shouts from the searching Genericons, Drift firmly grabbed it and ran with him towards a nondescript warehouse. Ratchet quickly entered numbers into a keypad to open the door, and they narrowly closed the door before the Genericons ran by. Ratchet led Drift down a few flights of steps into an underground rave. By this time of night, it was in full swing, everyone dancing in their own worlds to a never ending stream of sounds and beats. The lights flashed, just barely allowing people to see each other. 

Ratchet was in his element. For someone who typically defied the wind, he blended into the sensual symphony, closing his optics at times to just focus on the music. Drift hung on for dear life as Ratchet skillfully danced them towards the center of the crowd. 

Ratchet looked back and frowned as he saw Drift wincing in pain. “Too overwhelming?” 

Drift turned down the sensors in his finials, but his helmache still throbbed. “Yeah, but I can manage.” 

“It doesn’t look like you’re managing. We can go somewhere else if--” 

“No. We’re safe here for a while, long enough to figure out a plan.” 

“Okay, well, try focusing on the lower frequencies.” 

As Drift took Ratchet’s advice, his helmache started to subside. He noticed the crowd start to close in and overwhelm him again, so he danced in closer to Ratchet, using the familiarity of their closeness to fall into a light meditative state. He felt his frame heat up as he became aware of just how close they were, mixing in with the rush of the chase that was still running up and down his frame. 

Ratchet smiled that irresistibly kind smile as he saw Drift finally relax, and in one swift move, Drift brought his hands up to encompass either side of Ratchet’s helm and tentatively kissed him. 

The world slammed to silence. 

Ratchet felt the stored up tension start to melt as everything he wanted sat right on his lip plates. Everything in his being wanted to push back, to ask for more, to open up, to taste and tease that which he had longed for, but he hesitated, afraid of losing what he had so carefully come to find. He stared at Drift in shock when Drift pulled back, a worried look on his face. 

Drift looked down and started to back away. “Sorry, I… sorry.” 

“No, Drift, wait!” Ratchet pulled Drift back by the arm, swung his other arm around Drift’s waist, and dip kissed him back. This time Drift was fully engaged. He threw his arms around Ratchet and pulled him closer, passionately probing at Ratchet’s lip plates and receiving just the same. Drift whined a bit as Ratchet pulled away, but then he felt kisses along the lower parts of his finials, the same ones that were turned down, the same ones that would feel oh so good if… 

“Hotel… we should...” Drift said as Ratchet continued down his neck. 

Ratchet kept nibbling his neck cords. “They’ll most certainly find us.” 

“Don’t… ah… care…” 

“Alright then.” 

Drift led Ratchet hand in hand out of the rave and straight towards the main road towards the hotel and right into a very lost group of Genericons. 

“There they are! After them!” 

Drift drew his swords and Ratchet pulled his pistol out of subspace as the road started clearing of panicked pedestrians. Ratchet shot one of the smaller Genericons in the leg, causing him to fall in front of the others. A bigger Genericon transformed into a utility van and drove right for them. Ratchet dodged but Drift leapt, somersaulting through the air and landing on the hood of the van, stabbing his swords as far as they would go into the engine and sliding down to the ground in front of the now stopped vehicle. 

“Show off!” Ratchet ran past Drift as he freed both swords. 

Drift quickly sheathed the sword in his left hand and pulled Ratchet into a passionate kiss as he stabbed the next attacker in the shoulder. “Practice makes perfect.” 

“How many clichés did you download?” Ratchet let himself be spun around by Drift who had already engaged another attacker. Ratchet fired beyond them at two more Genericons who both collapsed, tripping several others. 

Drift punched his assailant out. “Enough to continue annoying you.” He grabbed Ratchet’s shoulder with his free hand, and the two of them continued running towards the hotel. Drift pulled Ratchet into cover for another kiss as several missiles shot past. “Is it working?” 

Ratchet smirked. “More than you know.” 

Drift just smiled. 

The hotel was just up ahead, and as they took off again, all they could see was a familiar Genericon jet form flying towards them. They both ducked into the lobby and headed to the elevator, grabbing an empty car. Ratchet slammed Drift against the back of the elevator and started kissing Drift’s finials again just as he turned them back to full sensitivity. Drift gasped and moaned, electric shivers dancing down his frame. He returned the favor by turning his helm and capturing one of Ratchet’s fingers in his mouth, teasing it with his glossa, Ratchet let out a deep growl while he closed his optics to enjoy the sensations. 

“Am I _interrupting_ anything?” 

Drift and Ratchet both glared at the jet form Genericon standing in the elevator doorway. 

“Yes!” 

They simultaneously punched the Genericon out of the elevator and into stasis lock, already re-entwined with each other as the door closed. When the elevator reached their floor, they quickly moved to their room, resuming kissing as the door closed. 

Ratchet finally broke off. “Drift.” He breathlessly put his forehelm on Drift’s. “Where do you want to take this?” 

Drift started to catch his breath. “Anywhere you want, Ratch.” 

“Drift, remember,” Ratchet took both of Drift’s hands and clasped them together in his, kissing them lightly. “We do this together.” He kissed Drift. “Now, are you totally sure?” 

Drift nodded. “Yes.” 

“Good. Now, remind me where we left off.” 

Drift’s kiss hit Ratchet like fire, his arms encasing Ratchet so tightly that it almost bent his armor. He started moving Ratchet backwards towards the couch, setting him down lightly and then climbing onto his lap. Drift lay kisses all the way from the top of Ratchet’s helm down to where he could reach on his chest, simultaneously running his fingers across Ratchet’s back, finding the most sensitive areas that made Ratchet sometimes laugh and sometimes moan. 

Ratchet looked up to find Drift relaxed and joyful. While still locking optics with him, Ratchet started running his hands across Drift’s back in turn, causing Drift to throw back his helm and gasp when he reached just the right area. Moving his hands up, Ratchet encased Drift’s helm and started running a single finger around each finial causing Drift to shake and breathe even harder. They held each other in ecstatic touch for some time, thoroughly exploring and cataloging each other’s erogenous zones, traveling back to the ones that got the most responses. 

Drift kissed Ratchet deeply again, probing him and being allowed entry to explore and be explored with intertwined glossa. He shivered with bliss, enjoying a deep intimacy of exactly the right amount of touch. Ratchet’s continual teasing of his finials was heating up his interface array, and he lightly ground against Ratchet’s and got that increasingly sexy low growl of pleasure back from him. Tingles started running up and down both of their frames, raising their senses to a point where touches got more intense as time went on. 

Finally, Drift didn’t want to hold his interface panel closed for very much longer, and disengaging, he pulled Ratchet to his pedes and over into the closest of the two berth rooms. He braced himself for Ratchet to complain, but Ratchet just smiled and hopped up onto the large berth and laid down. Drift was almost immediately in his arms, kissing him and experimenting with soft nips on his lip plates and down his neck, breathing hard with his frame running hot. 

As Drift released both of his interface panels with a loud click, Ratchet looked at him. “What do you want to do?” 

Drift took a bit to remember how to form words with the multitude of sensations running through him. “Your spike… in me. _Please_...” He started grinding his increasingly lubricated valve across Ratchet’s frame, focusing entirely on the anterior node that was driving him towards overload. 

“You sure you’re ready?” Ratchet chuckled. “You seem to be enjoying yourself as is.” 

Drift finally managed to speak. “ _Yes_...” 

“You’re going to have to move so I can open. Here…” Ratchet patted his chest. “Sit up here.” 

Drift moved up to his chest as asked, and Ratchet opened his panel, almost overwhelmed by the similar sensations pulsing down his frame. Drift maneuvered his valve over Ratchet’s spike and gently pulled it into him, calipers grasping on to further improve the connection to excite the internal nodes. Ratchet moved his elbows onto the berth so that Drift could push off of his arms, and once connected, they started moving together, tentatively, hesitantly. Drift’s face gradually morphed from blissful to frustrated as he slowed. 

“Drift, what is it?” 

Drift breathed in and out several times before answering. “Can’t… quite…” 

Ratchet slowly disengaged one of his arms to reach up and cup Drift’s cheek. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” He ran a finger to barely touch the corresponding finial, causing Drift to lean in and moan. He slowed down, matching pace with Ratchet, making sure to find every node inside of his valve and make sure it got plenty of attention. Each thrust sent shockwaves through him, and he breathed into all of them, drawing them out and letting them pass as another wave hit. 

Ratchet watched in awe as Drift moved over him with all of his guards down and all of his emotions sitting on the surface. Drift had the most beautiful smile, almost laughing, optics shut and just experiencing. He made sounds Ratchet had never heard from him before, with high pitched desperate whines accompanied by low-pitched determined growls and satisfied purrs. Ratchet edged back from every one of his potential overloads, still wanting to see Drift as he climaxed. When he finally did, it hit him by surprise, his optics onlining, his frame shaking, a victorious moan escaping from his vocalizer. Ratchet wasn’t far behind him, the electric pulses of Drift’s overload feeding into him. That exchange happened several times as overload after overload crashed over them. 

Drift collapsed onto Ratchet’s chest, breathing hard and completely sated. When he was able, he disengaged from Ratchet and kissed him softly. Ratchet pulled him into a tight hug, and they both slipped into a light recharge. 


	5. Afterglow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist:
> 
>   * Shingo Nakamura - Small Image (Album Mix)
>   * NINA - Empire of Love
> 


Several hours later after awakening and washing up, Drift curled into Ratchet’s arm, a glass of _Sparktouch_ in his hand, both of them setting in the gurgling oil bath and watching the city as it slept. Ratchet reached over and clinked his own glass against Drift’s and took a sip. 

“This stuff is even better than I remember.” Ratchet tightened his grip on Drift under the oil. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it last the entire trip home.” 

Drift laughed. “I’m sure there are other things we can purchase to make that trip enjoyable. I saw some tactile and mood enhancers in the market. Oh, don’t look at me like that! These are the safe kind. Wing introduced me to them to help during meditation.” 

“Wing?” 

“He, ah, he was the knight from the Circle who rescued and trained me.” Drift suddenly looked distant. “That’s his Great Sword that Dai Atlas bequeathed to me.” 

Ratchet was quiet for a while. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine. I’ve come to grips with what happened there by focusing my life on making others’ better.” Drift took a sip of engex. “Wing will never be forgotten in that way.” 

Ratchet turned to kiss Drift’s forehelm. “We don’t have to rush back, you know. If you need more time…” 

Drift looked up and smiled at Ratchet. “No, I think I’m ready. I’m really only angry at Roddy because he didn’t turn the ship around to find me, but I want to give him the chance to explain.” He reached up and kissed Ratchet on the lip plates. “And I still get a month with you all to myself before any of that happens.” 

“So this means you’ll come back with me as more than a friend?” 

“Definitely.” 

Ratchet smiled sweetly. “Good. I’m up for anything.” 

“So am I.” Drift sat his drink down and floated into Ratchet’s lap, kissing him. 

“Quick, say something to annoy me. The foreplay is much more fun that way.” 

Drift leaned back as he laughed. “Later? I’ve got so many new ways to wind you up.” 

“Oh, _fine_. Just come back here and kiss me.” 

Drift moved forward and stopped short of reaching Ratchet’s lip plates. “Oh, I am going to do so many delicious things to you.” 

“That sounds like a challenge.” Ratchet growled as he embraced and pulled Drift into a deep kiss. 


End file.
